Akira x Ann
by CEGold
Summary: Follow Akira and Ann from their first I love you in a simple one-shot focused on some of my favorite moments between the protagonist (named Akira Kurusu in this fic) and Ann Takamaki. Rated T for language. [SPOILERS FOR END GAME]


**A/N : So I played and beat Persona 5 and I'm in love. This game was awesome! My introduction to the Persona series was threw Persona 4 the Animation. After binging that, I watched the cut scenes for the game on Youtube. Persona 5 was my first game of the franchise, so I was hesitant if I would actually like playing it.**

 ** _Oohhhh boy_ was that misplaced.**

 **Persona 5 is easily in my top 3 favorite games of all time. So I had to write a fanfic based on the romance route I took in the game.**

 **Keep in mind, Akira's attitude and personality is how I perceived it in my play through. He's quiet, thoughtful, a little shy at times, and a total dork. I hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

"I guess... I'm alone again, huh...?"

Watching his friend on the verge of an emotional breakdown tore Akira's heart to shreds. Ann did her best to hide just how afraid she was, but he was able to see the pain. He had been there. He knew the fear of loneliness well. Between having no friends to speak of back home to starting at Sujin as the resident criminal. It was an unfortunate acquaintance of his. But it didn't have to be.

"That's not true." He spoke in a soft, comforting, tone, moving to wrap her in his arms. The gesture must've caught Ann off guard, as she released a short gasp at the sudden contact. "You have me."

"Akira..." Ann was motionless. The contact not registering to her as her mind raced to catch up. She buried her tear-stained face into Akira's neck, more conscious of the height difference now more than ever. "Akira..."

"I love you." It was barely a whisper, but it was still heard by both parties. A moment passed between them before Ann snapped from her own head. Her arms moved to Akira's shoulders and she pulled away.

"W-wait! What did I just say?!" Her face conveyed mixed emotion that Akira studied carefully. Confusion, panic, awe; all as plain as day in her eyes.

"You said "I love you."" Akira repeated, raising a curious brow to her embarrassment. Those very words seemed to sting Ann, as she flinched as soon as she heard them in the open air. How could he just casually repeat something like that?

"I-I said what?" Ann's cheek became flushed ever so slightly. She did her best to recompose herself.

"I...I mean...yeah. Yeah! I said it!" At this point, Akira wasn't sure if she was addressing him or herself. "And I mean it, too!" Her gaze became a bit much for Akira and he found himself blushing now.

"I really love you. Like, REALLY really!" She declared confidently. Her blush deepened as she repeated her declaration of love to him. She wasn't shy. She confessed way earlier than she wanted to, but now that the cat's out of the bag she couldn't take it back.

Akira moved forward and hugged her again, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her closer. She squeaked an "eep!" at the gesture.

"I guess we're more than friends now." She groaned a little "This is so embarassing," under her breath before allowing herself to enjoy the embrace.

After they calmed down, they discussed what this relationship would be like. Neither Ann or Akira has had a boyfriend or a girlfriend before, so they were treading on new ground. Akira had stressed that they shouldn't worry about it and that it would come naturally. Those words seemed to give Ann some respite, since some of the tension in her shoulders seem to ease. At his behest, they left the rooftop for a more fitting setting to discuss their new relationship.

They retired to Akira's room at his request. Sojiro had to do some shopping for supplies and Morgana had left shortly before he met with Ann. So they had the cafe to themselves. Once in his room, they sat on the couch, barely an inch between them.

"I feel like my heart is going to explode." Ann was nervous about the closeness. She had never sat so close to another guy her age before. Especially one like Akira, who looked as if it was just a common occurrence.

When Akira voiced that he didn't share the same worry, she made a vow to break his stoic visage.

"Bring it." He said playfully. His genuine smile was in contrast to the challenging tone he had taken.

"Oh?" Akira then felt a shiver crawl down his spine from the devious grin that was now directed at him. "In that case, I'm not gonna hold back."

Before Akira could prepare himself, Ann giggled. "Akira you stupid moron. I like you. I love you. I wanna be with you forever!"

Akira could feel the heat growing in his cheeks. That was a dirty move! Before he could even react, she continued.

"Just kidding~? Ehehe..."

Akira sighed, trying to hide his blush. He could feel the corners of his lips tug upward, but struggled against it. He had delcared war and it would be shameful for the legendary Joker to lose such a battle so early on.

 _'Hold together!'_ He instructed himself.

Satisfied with the reaction she garnered, she allowed a smile to grace her features. "This reminds me of the training we did back in that park." She recalled. "You know, when I had you say all of that different stuff to me. My heart was pounding back then." She winked at him.

"So what about now? Was your heart pounding?"

"No." Akira's voice cracked, still looking away from her. He cleared his throat and repeated himself, but it was useless. When he peeked back at Ann, she had a grin that shouted 'Victory!'. The sight peeled away what little defenses Akira had managed to build. His heart was beating like it was trying to escape from it's place in his chest. She _really_ wasn't playing fair.

They spent the rest of their time together discussing their relationship. More specifically, how it would work around the others. It was Akira's idea to keep their relationship a secret from the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

He feared that the others would react awkwardly to their new bond. He concluded that this could have negative ramifications on the group dynamics. He could only imagine how everyone would treat them differently when together. And the last thing he wanted was to mess up a good thing. Also, if at all possible, he wanted to avoid the idea that he was favoring Ann because she was his girlfriend. Ann had laughed at how meticulous he was being. He was going about things as if he was Joker and he was strategizing to steal a heart. Akira Kurusu was a school student. Not Joker the heart thief, she reminded him.

"I stole yours, didn't I?" The rebuttal caught Ann off guard.

Her words became caught in her throat before she responded. "Y-yeah," Her embarrassment was as plain as the blush on her face. "But that's _totally_ not the same!" She quickly added in an attempt to recompose her crumbling demeanor.

"You're cute when you're flustered." Akira smiled. This was payback for bombarding him with her declaration of love a few moments ago.

"Sh-shut up!" She said sharply. Almost as if the compliment burned. "You can't say something like that so suddenly. We just became a couple," Her voice losing a bit of it's edge. "I'm not properly prepared for such words!" Akira's smile only grew wider.

"Not so fun, is it?" He was smiling from ear to ear now.

It never doned on her how rare of a sight it was to see Akira smile. Akira was stone faced the majority of the time she saw him. Cracking jokes with that dry humor of his to answering correctly in class, Akira's lips never formed a smile. Sure, as Joker he had his signature smirk. Confident, challenging, with a sinister flair to it. But as Akira, his features were a lot softer. It was almost hard to believe that Joker and Akira were the same person.

"Fine." Ann sighed. "We'll keep this a secret from the others."

And just like that school, meetings, and school trips- Ann and Akira stayed at arms length. No one was none the wiser to their relationship. Cautiously, they picked the timing and locations of their dates. They took special care to avoid places where the others would frequent.

* * *

Their first real date came after Ann's latest photo shoot. She had asked Akira to accompany her after school. She would star on the cover of a magazine with Mika. When they arrived, Mika was being scolded by the agency employee. Apparently she was behind the other models not showing up to their shoots. She had tried to justify her shady tactics as a way to get ahead in the competitive world that was modeling, but just made herself seem a little worse. Akira had whispered to Ann if she thought Mika had a Shadow in Mementos, which she waved off. She was mean, but she wasn't that bad.

After the shoot was over, Akira and Ann made their way over to the Ferris Wheel.

Akira and Ann had been too caught up in their conversation to take in the sights. They had reached the peak and was on a decent with the only thing either of them had their eyes on was each other. Ann had went quiet. Akira probed her for what was on her mind, since she was in good spirits seconds ago.

"Um, before we get off...sh-should we at least do one thing that couples do?" She asked.

Akira didn't quite understand what she meant. He was sorely behind on the latest craze that couples were doing. He never really paid attention to that stuff until now, if he was being honest.

Ann's, cheek flushed, looked anywhere except at her boyfriend. "I'll leave it to you." She shyly looked up to him. "Should I close my eyes?"

Oh. Oh that is what couples do. This was the setting for it, he reasoned. It was Akira's turn to be blushing. It was never clearer that they didn't have an idea what to do than it was in this moment. But when their eyes locked, everything fell in place. Like it was the simplest puzzle.

He lowered his face to hers and their lips met, the moment they both had dreamed of for so long. The unfamiliar contact had both of their senses alight. Any shyness or fear washed away. When they broke the contact, they lingered. Akira had read how first kiss should feel in some of his favorite novels, but they couldn't had compared to the pure elation he just experienced.

She giggled and pressed her forehead to his. Slowly opening his eyes, he took in the full view of Ann's features. Soft teal eyes that knew no end. Deep and home. A smile that warmed his very core. A glow her happiness shined on him. This was the first time that they were this close and Akira knew he could get used to this.

"That was...great." She breathed.

"Y-yeah." Akira struggled to speak, still at a complete lost for words.

Once their capsule reached the bottom, the attendant opened the door for them to step out. Of course, Akira offered his hand to Ann when she went to step out. They continued around the park until the sun settled below the horizon. Hand in hand, Akira walked Ann back to the station so she could catch her train home.

* * *

They were both great at keeping their PDA nonexistent around the others. Ryuji was easy enough, and Morgana looked pass anything if it meant that his fantasy stayed intact. The ones who were a threat was the more perceptive Makoto and Yusuke. But as long as they kept to their guns and obeyed that single rule, they had nothing to worry about.

However, it was Ann who broke the rule first when she stole a kiss from Akira. It was this occurrence that turned the before established rule into more of a suggestion. The team had decided to see a movie together during their off day. The movie in question was Sidney's Beast of Beauty. Ryuji decided to see the newest Bill Pond film under the disguise of research. Akira and Ann ended up next to each other, thanks to Akira ordering too much from the concession. Ann had stayed to help him carry some of the food that Morgana no doubt would help himself to. He was disappointed when he discovered that Swedish Fish wasn't _actually_ fish.

During the ballroom dance scene, Akira felt a tap on his shoulder. When he leaned down to hear what Ann wanted, he felt her lips press against his cheek for a brief second. Immediately, his face heated up from the sudden affection. He had hoped that the darkness of the theater hid his blush, but a giggle from Ann dashed the thought.

Later that night, Akira was preparing for sleep. A dive into Mementos after the movie and homework had left the leader of the Phantom Thieves exhausted. Morgana wouldn't allow him to rest without training a little first. A little turned into a full on workout.

After finishing Morgana's brutal work out regime, he received a text from Ann. Morgana became curious on the subject matter, but was denied the information he sought when Akira took his phone to the bathroom with him.

 **[You're not upset about earlier, are you?]** The text read.

 **[Of course not]** Akira replied back. Getting upset over a little kiss wasn't like him. Plus, no one saw so no harm no foul as far as Akira was concerned.

 **[Good!]** An elipses in a text bubble indicated that she was typing a second message.

 **[I won't make a habit out of it, I promise.]**

 **[I just couldn't help it 3]**

Akira wanted to adhere to the rule they agreed on. He could imagine Ryuji's reaction if he discovered that him and Ann were an item. Or Morgana's for that matter. Those were headaches that he would rather avoid if at all possible.

But he would be lying if he said that he hated that moment in the theater. He hadn't thought much of it until Ann brought it back up. It was possible that there was wiggle room in the rule.

 **[I don't mind small amounts of PDA]** He decided. It took Ann a little longer to reply than normal.

 **[Oh?]**

 **[I'll keep that in mind ;)]**

His stomach twisted into knots. In his mind, he heard her purr this into his ear. He could see the half lidded stare she would give him. Her smirk that drew a blush from him as if it was the easiest thing in the world. It was all clear to him. Damn hormones. It made coming up with a good reply a bit of a challenge.

 **[Good]**

' _Smooth_.' he thought to himself. He had never been happier that she wasn't present. Surely she would pounce on this opportunity and relish in his bashfulness. He waited a beat before typing another message. **[Good Night]**

 **[Sweet dreams 3]** Akira smiled at the text before putting the phone on the charger and on the shelf next to his bed.

"What did Lady Ann want?" Morgana pried after jumping from the floor to his spot next to Akira on the bed.

"She had a question about our homework." Akira lied while yawning. "Nothing too important."

"That's boring." Morgana stated bluntly. He stretched himself and began to knead the spot that he had settled on next to his friend. "She didn't mention me at all?"

"'fraid not."

He heard Morgana whine a little before declaring that they had better get to sleep. They did have a test the next day, so it was in Akira's best interest to rest up. Akira agreed and they exchanged good nights.

* * *

Ann wasn't lying when she told the room that her roommate had locked her out when she went to her boyfriend's room. And to be honest she did see Makoto first before she settled on staying with Akira. What she hadn't counted on was Ryuji being there for similar reasons. No doubt Ryuji's roommate was the boyfriend in question, judging by the response he gave upon hearing Ann's complaint. Ann announced that she would be staying in their room for the night, much to the surprise of the room. Akira, of course didn't seem to mind. But there wasn't a lot that shook him anyway.

Ryuji suggested on playing cards to determine who slept where. Mishima was the first one to win a game, thus keeping his bed. The next game declared Ann the winner, who claimed Akira's bed as her prize. She did feel a little bad about taking Akira's bed from him, but the guilt settled when he beat Ryuji and won the couch. With everyone satisfied (except a **very** vocal Ryuji) and having their sleeping arrangements figured out, they prepared for bed.

Unfortunately sleep didn't come as easy as they would've liked. Especially for poor Mishima, who found himself rushing to the bathroom not long after lights out.

Soon, the silence was filled with chatter. Mostly from Ryuji and Ann. Akira resigned himself to listening, only speaking up when addressed.

"What about you, Akira?" Ann snapped Akira from his own thoughts with her question. "C'mon, spill the beans. What kind of girl is your type?"

Akira pondered his answer. He realized answering this would be telling Ann how he saw her. No way he could get away with describing a girl that wasn't Ann and not making Ann a little self conscious. Knowing this, he figured he could get away with a similar answer as Ryuji and not get called out like he was.

"That's tough." He said. "One that is beautiful, probably."

"I see." Was all Ann said. Ryuji waited for a follow up response. Something similar to his lashing he recieved for his honesty. When it appeared as if it wasn't coming, he spoke up.

"Wait so I get called out but all he gets is an _"I see"_? That's effed up!" Ryuji protested.

"Well he was honest about his answer. I didn't have to bait it out of him." was Ann's rejoinder.

"Well, we answered honestly. It's your turn next!" Ryuji sat up. His previous anger gave way to excitement, as marked by the grin he was now sporting. No doubt a result from the revenge he was aiming for "So, what kinda guy-?"

"S-someone..."

There was a pregnant silence in the room. That sounded almost ghostly. Like one of the wails they would hear in Mementos. Chalking it up to his ears playing tricks, he attempted his interrogation again. "So, what kinda guy-"

It was the toilet that interrupted him next. Followed by a groaning that was definitely coming from Mishima. "M-my stomach... **hrgh**..."

 _'Thank you, Mishima.'_ Ann thought, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed. "That doesn't sound good." She played up her concern.

"Y'know, wasn't he drinkin' the tap water earlier?" He sighed. "That's like, the one thing you're not supposed to do when you're outta the country."

 _'For all the smack Ryuji does about Ann's acting ability, he didn't notice her performance here.'_ Akira mused over in his head.

Another groan filled the air, followed by the toilet flushing again.

Akira turned his head to look in Ryuji's direction. "You should see if he's alright."

"Eff that!" Ryuji protested. "It prolly smells like shit in there. _You_ do it."

"You're closer than I am."

"I can move!"

As low as she could and with an exasperated sigh, Ann said, "Just do it, Ryuji!"

With a defeated groan, Ryuji got up from his spot on the floor. All the while mumbling about how "everything friggin' sucks". Akira and Ann watched as he opened the door and stepped in, flinching at the smell.

"You all right?" Ryuji's monotonous voice mocked the the words of concern he spoke.

 _'He could at least act like he cares.'_ Akira thought. It was then that he glanced over to Ann, who was still situated on the edge of the bed. Their eyes made contact for a brief moment before looking back to the door.

"Get it all out." They heard Ryuji say. "We ain't got all day."

That was all the cue they needed. They shared a smile before Akira sat up, a bit of urgency in his movement, and made his way over to Ann, who greeted him with a sheepish smile. Akira leaned forward a bit and rested his forehead against her's. Their eyes closed as they shared a giggle. Akira slowly leaned in and took her warm lips in his. The world melted from him. The contact had his stomach in knots and his senses on fire. It was gentle. A whisper of a kiss, tender in it's embrace.

Akira pulled away, taking Ann's breath with him. She steadied her breathing and slowly opened her eyes. He was still close, only a hair width away. The urge to capture his lips again was almost too much for her. She pulled her gaze upwards and into his eyes, smiling. He returned her soft expression with a whisper.

"Good night, my love." Ann thought he was cheesy. Incredibly so. But also sincere. She had come to learn that Akira was a hopeless romantic. And she loved that about him.

Ann leaned up and captured his lips this time. It was brief. Barely lasting a moment. Her hands found a place on the sides of his face. Her senses honed in on Akira, feeling the warmth that his closeness brought. She wanted to memorize the smoothness of his lips. The taste of mint on his breath. She didn't want this to end yet, but knew it had to. She committed it all to memory before pulling away, staring deep into his eyes. Her hands still on each side of his face.

"G'Night." She purred, her breath mingling with his own. Akira sported a gentle smile. It was a special sight reserved only for her and she relished it every time she saw it. It was hers. A jewel more valuable than any treasure they would find in a Palace.

The opening of the bathroom door and a shouting Ryuji shouting ended their tender moment. Akira rushed back to his couch in a hushed dash. Both Akira and Ann hid their glowing red faces- Akira by facing the couch cushion and Ann by pulling the sheet over her face. This didn't stop them from sharing a glance before each one proceeded to allow sleep to take them.

* * *

It was Valentine's Day. The day for lovers.

If Ann's texts wasn't enough of a reminder, then the mob of couples did the trick. He felt bad when he had to decline her invitation for dinner, but Sojiro needed the extra hands. Leblanc had a line waiting to be seated. Even Futaba came to the shop to lend a hand. She didn't even wear her mask, which Akira commended her for and promised to buy her something.

After the crowd died down to a manageable size, Futaba grabbed curry to-go and retired to her room to rest. Morgana stayed in Akira's bag and observed the patrons, giving commentary on everyone based on his observations. Luckily, Akira was the only one that could understand him. Though Sojiro would ask what he was saying every once in awhile. Once the coast was clear, he stepped from the bag and immediately claimed his chair that he slept on during Akira's studying sessions. Finally, it was closing time and only Sojiro, Akira, and Morgana remained.

"Oh right," Sojiro finished waxing the hardwood counter "today's Valentine's Day. No wonder there were so many guys bringing girls in here."

Akira hummed affirmation from the sink where he was nearing the bottom of the dirty dishes. Only a couple plates and cups on the bar remained for him to wash.

"Don't _you_ have anything exciting happening? I mean, you've been here for nearly a whole year." Akira could see Sojiro's expression even though his back was to him. That raised brow, smirk plastered on his face. It was all so familiar due to how often he teased the teen about his love life, or lack thereof.

"Y'know, when I was young, _hoo boy_!" Akira was well acquainted to this side of Sojiro. Responding now would be talking to a break wall. Akira didn't hate it, though. He prefered this attitude. It beat the bitter coldness that Sojiro showed him when he first arrived.

Luckily he didn't have to respond. The bell above the entrance rang, interrupting Sojiro's reminiscing of his glory days.

"Hi there!"

Hearing Ann's voice was divine. Being away from her for 2 months was the worse part about his incarceration. He looked away from his dishes and saw her standing in the doorway, rosey lips turned up in a smile.

Akira left the sink and walked around the counter, coming face to face with Ann.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked with a slight hesitation in her voice. She didn't notice the leftover dishes from the outside. She kind of regretted not texting ahead to see if the coast was clear, but she couldn't resist the urge of a surprise.

Akira smiled and nodded. He reassured her that it was closing time and he had finished the majority of the dishes. She breathed a sigh of relief and flashed a toothy grin.

Sojiro looked from Akira to Ann, before that oh so famous smirk of his returned. "Ohhh... You should've just told me. I'll leave the store to you. Enjoy yourselves." Sojiro began to walk towards the entrance to give the two teens their privacy. Even Morgana had left his place on the chair in favor of giving the couple some alone time. Of course he breathed a sigh of relief as he left after Sojiro. He didn't take the news of Ann being off the market well, it appeared.

The cafe was now theirs. The only noise being the murmurs of what was being discussed on the news. The first time they were alone together in a long time. Not that it mattered, since their relationship was known to everyone to the group. After Akira had got back from juvenile hall, Ann had greeted him with a leaping hug. And he returned the gesture with a kiss, which caught everyone off guard.

Ann stepped forward, "Good evening." Her tone was lower. More intimate. It was the first time they were alone together since Christmas Eve.

It had only been a day since his welcome home party, but he still was taken back by the beauty of the woman infront of him. He struggled to keep his words straight as he offered to make her some coffee.

"Thanks. I would love some."

There was a heavy silence between them. Akira would be lying if he said that it wasn't a little awkward. He knew what he wanted to say. That he missed her. That he loved her. That he was sorry. But the words never made it pass his lips. The fear of sounding like an idiot won out over anything else that could've been present in his head.

"It's been awhile since we've had some alone time together." Just the sound of her voice was enough to perk him up. Although it didn't do much for the tinge of guilt that stung him once he realized it was his fault for his lengthy absence.

"Yeah." Akira chuckled. "To be honest, I'm kind of nervous." He wasn't lying. He doubt he would be able to fare well against her 'heart training'.

She giggled in response. "You mean now? That's cute."

That single sentence gave him collywobbles. The heat rose in his cheeks and he glanced away and gave his attention to the still playing TV. Stupid smile and all still on his face.

"Oh yeah!" She reached for something beside her, "This is for you."

Akira looked back to the table to see a box now infront of Ann. The box in question was chocolate brown with a gold lid, all tied together with red ribbon with a flower bow.

As Akira leaned forward to pick it up, she winked at him. "Isn't it heavy? I filled it with loveee~"

Akira didn't take his attention off of the box. His lips curved upwards. "I love it. Thank you."

Ann rolled her eyes but couldn't help her smile. "Couldn't you atleast react to my joke?" Ann snickered, proud that he was so captured by the gift.

"Gonna have to try a bit harder." His smile shifted into a smirk. His stomach may be doing somersaults, but he had enough nerve to tease her a little.

She giggled for a moment, probably to just acknowledge that she heard him.

"Hey," Ann began. She contemplated how to properly phrase what she was going to say next. "You should've told me you were planning on turning yourself in."

The guilt crashed down on him. The hurt in her voice, the dejected look in her eyes. A rainfall of thoughts and emotions washed away any previous though. He never wanted to hurt her. But if he had told her what he had to do, she wouldn't had let him do it alone. And after the treatment he received from the police the first time he got "caught", he could only imagine her in his place. Beaten and tortured. Drugs in her system making coherency a task by itself. The circumstances may have been different, but he wasn't taking that risk. Not with their lives. The thought of Ann- of any of his friends- going threw that was enough to convince him. He had survived it once. Enduring it a second time would be a cake walk.

"I...I know," He contemplated telling her everything that went threw his head when he made the decision. But Ann would've rebuked them flawlessly. She would've said that he had no right to make such a decision by himself. Friend. Leader. Boyfriend. It didn't matter. And she would've been right. All he could do was apologize. "I'm sorry to have worried you. I acted selfishly."

She allowed the apology to linger in the air before replying. "It's ok," she smiled softly. "I'm fine now." The tender tone she took caught him off guard. She told him how she thought long and hard on why he did it. And she came to the same conclusion that he did. There was no guarantee that they would be treated fair. Sae's protection only extended so far.

Ann's smile began to falter as the next thought crept up on her. She looked away from Akira and hung her head for a moment. "Um... I don't want to go home today." It should've been embarrassing for her. The old Ann wouldn't have the nerve to say something so suggestive with a 100% seriousness.

"You don't have to." Akira responded without a second thought. He didn't want her to go. Not after spending so much time away.

Once she heard his response, she perked back up. "Then I won't."

Her follow up question borrowed from the courage that she was currently in surplus of. "So, can I sit next to you?" It felt like a trivial question compared to asking to stay with him. Perhaps it would've been appropriate to work in baby steps, asking these questions in the reverse order.

In the end, it didn't matter. "Of course." A simple response to a simple question in his head. A no brain-er, really. He slid to his left, allowing her more room to get comfortable as she slid in next to him. She left no space between them when she took her seat. It seemed as if the closeness no longer bothered like it did all of those months ago.

Once settled, their conversation turned back to another serious topic. The subject of Akira moving back home. They both knew it would happen when they started their relationship. Time seemed to move so slow that the inevitable seemed like a non-factor to them. Neither one of them could've predicted time to fly by so fast. But now the day that neither one looked forward to was on the horizon. March had seemed so far away when Akira first came out here. He had offered Ann to accompany him back home, but they both knew he wasn't serious. No, Akira wouldn't force Ann to uproot her life like that. A long distance relationship worked fine for him. No matter how much the voice in the back of his head told him to stay.

With a frustrated growl at how serious the atmosphere had gotten, Ann suggested they liven things up. A big smile on her face, the two teens decided to move their date up into Akira's room. Akira had put a movie in the DVD player for them to watch as they went to bed. Ann had asked when he had time to rent a movie and laughed upon discovering that it was from before he turned himself in.

"Have fun with those late fees." She teased, cuddling up to Akira.

The movie was a cheesy rom-com that him and Morgana had started and never finished. Akira made a mental note of where they had left off at so him and Morgana could finish it. For a cat, he was a big movie buff and was especially invested in this movie.

Ann fell asleep first, her back flush up against Akira's chest with his arms wrapped around her waist. Akira stopped the movie before the end and clicked the TV off via his remote. Deciding to sleep, he sent a text to Futaba asking her to watch after Morgana.

 **[:)]** Was the only reply Akira received, which scared him if he was being honest.

 _'I'm sorry, Morgana. I promise to buy you all of the fish you want.'_

He planted a kiss on the top of Ann's head and whispered his love to her before he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.

He dreamt that night. Of everyone; Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Yusuke, Haru, and Futaba. The gang hanging out at the cafe like they always did. Ryuji and Ann complaining about studying for an upcoming test. Makoto chastising them for not properly studying beforehand. Futaba stuffing her face with Sojiro's curry. Yusuke listening to the conversation, only inputing where he felt necessary. And Haru conversing with Sojiro, learning trade secrets. It was a great dream. A figment of his imagination.

But did it have to stay a dream?

* * *

"Welcome home!" Akira's parents grabbed their boy in a big hug, nearly squeezing the air from his body.

After what felt like forever, Akira and his friends arrived at his house in the outskirts of a big city. Not as big as Tokyo, but still it was no small town. Grabbing his luggage and climbing over Ryuji to exit the car, he had asked his friends to come meet his parents. He insisted that they would question him about the friends he made, and it would be easier to just have them introduce themselves. It didn't take too much convincing, since Ryuji jumped out of the car before Akira could finish his pitch. The others simply followed in suit.

"Y-yeah," He gasped. Once they released him from their grip, he took a breath "It's good to see you guys."

Pulling himself from their grip, Akira gestured to the group in tow. "Let me introduce you to my friends."

Before Akira could introduce them first, Ryuji beamed at the couple and flashed a peace sign. "Yo! I'm Ryuji Sakamoto!"

"I'm Yusuke Kitagawa. It's a pleasure to meet you." Yusuke continued on from Ryuji. He offered a polite smile and a short bow.

"Makoto Niijima. It's nice to meet you."

"I-I'm Futaba Sakura!" She sharply and robotically bowed her head. "Thank you for giving birth to your son!" Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu chuckled nervously at Futaba's weirdly placed gratitude.

" H-Haru Okumura." She chuckled, having to follow up Futaba's... performance.

"And I'm Ann Takamaki. I'm your son's," Ann stopped short, feeling embarrassment come to her. Coming out officially to the group was one thing, but now Akira's parents? She thought she had prepped mentally for this. But now in the moment...

"You're takin' _forever_." Ryuji groaned impatiently. "She's his girlfriend." He stated so simply, as if he was asked the weather.

"H-Hey!" Ann's beet red face betrayed her annoyed tone. Ryuji smirked at her, having successfully gotten under her skin.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Mrs. Kurusu couldn't help the smile on her face. She wouldn't have thought that her quiet son would have made so many friends in such a short time. "Thank you for taking care of Akira for us."

"Where are our manners?" Mr. Kurusu smacked his forehead in exaggerated disbelief and chuckled. "Come in! Come in!" He motioned everyone threw the door and into the living room of the house.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Morgana mewed from Akira's bag.

"Sorry." Akira whispered, everyone already moving to inside of the house. "I'll introduce you a bit later."

"You better make this up to me!" Morgana retreated back inside of the bag. "Though I suppose if everything goes according to plan, we won't be here for long. _Mwehehe_ ~" Akira rolled his eyes and smiled.

Everyone took refuge in the kitchen. Mr. Kurusu insisted on getting more chairs so everyone could sit, but Makoto turned him down. They weren't planning on staying for long and only wanted to meet his parents after knowing Akira for so long. There was idle conversation back and forth, none that spared Akira from embarrassment. Ann and Ryuji traded stories about Akira's less than stellar moments for Mrs. Kurusu's recollection of Akira's childhood memories. Akira begged for them to stop, but it had fallen on deaf ears. Each story had Akira sinking deeper and deeper into his chair.

"That's a marvelous baby picture, Akira. There's no shame in streaking nude around the house at that age." And Yusuke wasn't helping with his honest attempt at improving his situation! Akira tried to express this via glares, but Yusuke remained oblivious.

"Well," Makoto's voice held some hesitation. "we should be going."

"It was nice meeting you." Ann stood from her seat and did her best to smile at Akira's parents. Despite smiling being the last thing she wanted to be doing.

"Hold on, guys." Akira called before his friends could make for the exit. They stopped and looked back in confusion. Akira looked down to his bag and met with Morgana's blue eyes shining in the dark. With a single nod from him, Akira was reassured. He nodded back and turned to his parents on the opposite side of the table.

"Mom. Dad...I actually didn't come back here to stay." That sentence caught not only his parents off guard, but his friends as well.

"Dude...?" Ryuji whispered. It was almost inaudible.

"I came back because I wanted to tell you that I decided to stay in Tokyo."

The expression his parents shared was one of shock and confusion. Akira knew this would be a hard sell, but he had to go for it. Him and Morgana did nothing but prep for this moment the night before.

 _"It'll be just like negotiating with Shadows."_ Morgana had reminded him the night before as they went over the plan.

Akira took a breath to calm his nerves before speaking. "Now," Akira netted his fingers together and crossed his leg. His parents didn't catch the ever so slight shift in his voice. He was now Joker, the leader of The Phantom Thieves. "This decision isn't one based solely on emotion. But on possibility."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a folder and handed it across the table to his father, who followed by opening it. "Those are my tests paper," Akira explained "and you will find that my grades at Sujin are above any of the scores I had here."

It was true. While he was at home, his grades were comfortable in the average. Just enough to pass. But being the head of a "criminal organization" had put Akira on alert at all times. He studied everything diligently. He had no idea what would prove useful to him and his friends. Not to mention maintaining a good grade help set Sojiro's mind at ease. He doubt that he would've been so lenient had he had continued his average scores.

"I don't have the money to pay Sojiro for a prolonged stay." His mother spoke up. Akira had that figured out as well. He was going to inform his parents of him helping with the Cafe in exchange for the lodging. Not to mention the part-time jobs that promised to take him back if he came back for the summer.

"That's fine!" Futaba jumped in before Akira could retort, shocking everyone present with her outburst. "Sojiro wouldn't mind at all! He even promised to keep his room the same for when he visits!"

"And," Makoto decided to speak up next. "You have my word as your son's student council president that I will see to it that his grades do not falter."

"And you can count on me to keep him out of trouble!" Ryuji slung an arm around Akira's shoulders, a shit eating grin on his face. "Afterall, I need my training buddy."

"I think it's going to work the other way around." Morgana sighed.

"What was that?" Ryuji growled, but was quickly dismissed. Although Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu raised a brow at him.

"Heh, pay no attention to him." Ann spoke up to take the attention off of Ryuji sneering at- as far as they knew- a harmless cat.

The two adults looked at each other without sharing a word. They looked down back to the folder. Examning one test after another with great attention and concentration. The silence was still, almost heavy. It made his blood run cold. It was asking a lot, he realized. He was away for a year and no doubt that he was missed. He would essentially be moving out.

Akira could feel a single bead a sweat slide down the side of his face. Similarily, his friends were all holding their breath with varying compsure. Haru, Makoto, and Yusuke were the most composed. Ann, Futaba, and Ryuji, on the other hand, wore their anticipation on their faces. Akira even heard Ryuji gulp since he was still so close to him.

After they went threw all of the tests, worksheets, and progress reports, the father closed the folder and slid it away from him. He looked to his wife, who returned his concerned stare with one of his own. Akira had learned to read people as a Phantom Thief, but his parents' expressions were still a mystery.

They looked to their son. The expression on their face was stern. Strong. It was enough to have Ryuji move away from his previous spot with his arm around his bud's shoulders. Akira silently wished that things would go well, but he was unsure.

"You will visit us on holidays," His dad finally spoke up. "Ya hear?"

Akira nodded. The smile forming on his face threatened to spread from ear to ear. The air immediately became lighter, once he saw his father's features lighten slightly as well.

"And your test scores better not slip." His mom spoke up next. "We will be expecting copies of your progress reports."

"I'll mail them myself." Makoto vowed. She did her best to sound like she wasn't affected, but the happiness in her voice was clear.

"And we want to hear from you often!" His mother added. "Stay in contact. Let us know how things're going."

"You got it." Akira nodded.

"Then it's decided." Akira's dad grinned. Despite his visage, there was a tinge of sadness in his voice. It was cruel of him, Akira knew, to hold the carrot of their son coming home infront of them and then rip it away. But this was something he had decided. Something that he felt they respected.

Ryuji shouted "Woohoo!" in celebration. He slapped Akira on the back and chuckled. He was only the first one to share in congratulations with Akira. Futaba all but shoved Ryuji aside as she wrapped Akira in a tight hug.

"Looks like you're not going anywhere for awhile." Haru spoke up. She smiled softly. "I'm so glad!"

"Yeah, but I doubt that you're as glad as Ann," Ryuji snickered "Right?"

"Sh-shut up!" Ann said, red in the face. "Don't make me hurt you, Ryuji!"

"He is right though." Yusuke placed his forefinger to his chin. "Ann would be the one who would benefit the most from Akira staying."

"Don't _you_ start now!" She pointed an accusatory finger to the artist.

Makoto only giggled at everyone's livelier interactions. "Looks like you're stuck with us for a bit longer, huh Akira?"

* * *

The ride back was almost like a celebration. It was definitely much more lighter than the ride to his house. Ryuji was already planning out their training regimen. Yusuke proposed art museums they could visit. Futaba was just happy that the last item on her promise list would go unfullfiled.

Akira and Ann shared a glance while everyone else was bickering amongst themselves. It was short, but their smiles conveyed more than words could've. No doubt that their long distance relationship would've worked, but not having to rely on it was better. No doubt. But being here with her and their friends. It was great. He couldn't ask for anything more.

Because the Phantom Thieves of Hearts may have disbanded, but they would always be together.

 **FIN**

* * *

 **A/N : So allow me to explain the ending and my mindset behind it. I figured that the ending of the game was you leaving the game, having beat it and everything. There was nothing else for you to do. You said your good byes to all of your confidants and wrapped everything up nice and neatly. However, I went into this with the thought that I'm not leaving Persona 5 behind anytime soon. Sure, I have other games I need to get to, but Persona 5 is probably one of the few games that I will always return to and playthrough. I never seem to get bored of the world, characters, or gameplay. So with that in mind, I wrote that Akira convinced his parents to let him go back and live with Sojiro in Cafe Leblanc (which, tbh, I kinda wish we had the option to do in game).**

 **Speaking of Sojiro, I feel his reaction to finding out that Akira isn't moving out will be happiness covered by embarrassment that he actually teared up over him leaving.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! I've been working on this for about 2 weeks now and couldn't wait to get it out. Hopefully someone was able to have fun with it ^^;;**

 **As always, fave and leave a comment! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what I can do to improve my writing, or all 3! I can't wait to hear from y'all!**


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